Monsoon Books – Publisher of books on Asia

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Indonesia

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Malaysia

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Singapore

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new and forthcoming

Escape 2021 by David McMillan

ESCAPE by David McMillan

£9.99

Dragon Penang Chronicles Vol. 1 by Rose Gan

DRAGON (PENANG CHRONICLES, VOL. 1) by Rose Gan

£9.99

You Might Want to Marry My Husband by Yap Swi Neo

YOU MIGHT WANT TO MARRY MY HUSBAND by Yap Swi Neo

£9.99

Operation Red Tidings by JP Cross

OPERATION RED TIDINGS by JP Cross

£9.99

Samarang Hotel by John Webb

SAMARANG HOTEL by John Webb

£8.99

RAINY DAY RAMEN and the COSMIC PACHINKO by Gordon Vanstone

RAINY DAY RAMEN AND THE COSMIC PACHINKO by Gordon Vanstone

£8.99

Love on the Rocks by Simon Los and David Gallagher

LOVE ON THE ROCKS by Simon Los and David Gallagher

£8.99

Death of a Coast Watcher by Anthony English

DEATH OF A COAST WATCHER by Anthony English

£8.99

popular genres

Historical Fiction

Historical Fiction

36 Products

Military

Military

12 Products

Biography & Memoir

Biography & Memoir

31 Products

True Crime

True Crime

12 Products

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Posted @withregram • @trishabisen 🏳️‍🌈

Posted @withregram • @trishabisen 🏳️‍🌈 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 🏳️‍🌈

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
𝐓𝐖: Rape, Homophobia, Substance Abuse, Prostitution, Homelessness, Hate Crimes, Pills and Death.

A highly entertaining, fast-paced and insightful tragicomedy that'll take you by surprise!

To be honest, I didn't pick this up with high expectations knowing that the story was based on the LGBT+ community in an Islamic country where being queer is a sin and condemned, but boy was I put wrong. This book was such a fresh breather! Not only does it explores sexuality from the perspective of teenage boys, but it deep dives into their friendship and the responsibilities that come with calling someone a friend.

What makes the tale exceptionally delicious is its setting; the story takes place alternatively in an Islamic boarding school and a gay nightclub, a deliberate odd combination that made me gag - almost! But the smoothness with which the author transitions between the setting is praiseworthy. I loved the account of the gay nightclub with all its talk of the lip-syncing drag queens, cross-dressing hairdressers, and unapologetic gays and lesbians. The writing is atmospheric; I could smell the flowing alcohol, hear the deafeningly loud music and feel myself swaying to it.

I fell in love with Paris who wanted to be a woman, Yusuf who was happy being gay despite having lived in the pesantren for the whole of his life, Oscar who was straight and masculine but accepted his friends for who they were, and gradually I fell in love with Ricky, a cisgender male who was still figuring out his sexuality and fighting against the societal norms inside his chaotic mind.

The only drawback that I saw was the climax - the story ends on an abrupt note without any buildup. Only if the ending was as seamless as the rest of the book, I would've rated this a perfect 5 stars.

Highly recommend this to everyone. Many thanks to @monsoonbooks & Pansing (@definitelybooks) for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Available in all leading bookstores across Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the UK.

Posted @withregram • @sugarspicewhatevernice If

Posted @withregram • @sugarspicewhatevernice If you grew up watching & loving Winter Sonata & Autumn In My Heart, YOU GOTTA PICK THIS BOOK UP!!

Thanikarn, wanted to be a lawyer growing up but her father’s death became a turning point in her life. With only high sch edu, she got a job as masseuse. There, she met Lucas, a French boy visiting Koh Samui with his family. They grew closer, rode around the island, mesmerised by the beauty & culture & ofc, fell in love.. 2 weeks of holiday ended and Lucas is now back in Paris, while Karn found out she’s pregnant. The story then followed Karn’s life as a single mother & Lucas wanting to pursue his musics.. with hope that they’ll eventually meet each other again….

This story sets in 90s (I assume from the yuppies & Friends TV show) where internet is not as ubiquitous as it is now. What even owning a smartphone/ social media!

So can you imagine the longing?? Heart wrenching?? The person you love is at another side of the 🌎 and it’s not like you can contact them everyday

It’s a slow moving plot, the beginning are all cutesy, followed by rising plot that’s nothing major except their life progress and boom! The climax and ending are just 😲🤭😩😭 I immediately gave it a 5🌟

The pacing is fast though it’s a 5-year-life-journey. Author succeeded in writing beautifully flawed characters which is very humanly, grasp cultures of both Asian & Western. In fact, I initially thought that she’s Thai! The way she portrayed Karn is as how we know “gadis kampung” to be. And I love all the references she used, even learned few Thai phrases! Also some Thai yummy delicacies 😋

I won’t give you any spoiler, but this is a book you would want to tell your Asian mother, grandma, aunties about it. Simply because they’ll connect with the story more. I just poured all 52-episodes sinetron to our bibik😌Dia pulak emosi pastu hahahaha

Oh yea, there’s no evil character here, only life can be cruel, sometimes 😌

Big thanks to Phil @monsoonbooks for sending me a copy of this book. You can buy it from their website or from our local major bookstores

#atseawithasong #sarawakreadsreview

Posted @withregram • @whatdibsread <<Review>> T

Posted @withregram • @whatdibsread <<Review>>

This time we're exploring around Thailand! A Thousand Years of Rain is set in Thailand, following the life of Alex Marek that begins to crumble when he is about to lose his job. While on the other hand, his love life is facing financial problems that could separate them. Worried about their future, Marek joining the wild scheme involving an ancient temple hidden deep in the Thai Jungle without realizing the mess he about to make.

When something involves ancient things, I always remember that you can't invade at your own will or bad things will happen to you. Especially when we talked about Thailand which is famous for its traditions and temples. When Marek and Hunter invading the ancient temple, they're writing their own death.

I love how the author explained every little thing with so many details and definitely making my imagination much more riveting. But sometimes I feel like it drags the story too much and making it longer than it is supposed to be.

I felt bad for Marek because he could have find another way to solves his problems rather than making much more problems. I like Saranya-his love life. She's the one who reminds Marek to ask for forgiveness for invading the Thai temple before it is all too late. For the ending, I'm quite surprisingly satisfied even though it horrifies me.

Overall, I like this book because it explained traditions, cultures and taboos in Thailand very well even though I lost interest in the middle of it. It was a good read for me and would love to read more from this author. Thank you @monsoonbooks for providing me with this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Personal rating: 3.4/5🌟

“Come eat, mee soup got, fry also can. Want egg

“Come eat, mee soup got, fry also can. Want egg forty cents, no egg thirty cents. Bring own egg also can. Come!”

The mee tok tok man was a showman. He enticed us with his tok tok invitation. He had a piece of cane bamboo split in half and he beat the two pieces against each other to create the tok tok melody.

Just a teaser … coming soon … watch this space … “You Might Want To Marry My Husband” and other recollections from life by Yap Swi Neo.

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